Top 10 tips for fun in the great outdoors with Puffin Rock

Puffin Rock is the award-winning preschool animation, currently showing on Nick Jr. and coming to Netflix soon.

Stars of the show, pufflings Oona and her little brother Baba live on a beautiful Irish island and have regular adventures with their friends and family who ensure there is never a dull moment.

The show is a charming mix of natural history facts, pre-school learnings, family relationships and humour and is narrated by Chris O’Dowd.

Oona and Baba from Puffin Rock love nothing more than getting outside and enjoying the delights of nature.

Here are our top 10 ideas for enjoying the great outdoors with your little ones.

Leaf rubbing

Collect a variety of leaves, pop them under a sheet of paper and rub with a coloured wax crayon to see different patterns emerging

Make a nature collage

Collect leaves, petals, feathers, shells and sticks from the garden, park, beach or woods and see if you can create your own version of Oona or Baba!

Mud pies

Give your children some old or washable kitchen utensils and some water and let them enjoy making mud pies! Include some old paint brushes and let your children ‘decorate’ a tree trunk or flat stones with their mud paint. Old clothes and aprons are a must!

Scavenger hunt

Write a list of items for your children to spot on an outing! Depending on where you are going and the time of year will depend on what you add to the list. It might include acorns, conkers, smooth pebbles, feathers, a red leaf, a shell, a piece of bark etc!

Sensory box

With all your items collected on the scavenger hunt, pop them into a box or bag and let your little ones see if they can remember what they have found by touch alone!

Bug hunt

Take along a magnifying glass to see what insects you can spot and identify. How many spots, wings or legs does each creature have? Could you draw them together?

Sand portraits

Are you visiting the beach this summer? There is so much scope for fun play, including this idea to create faces on the sand! Make a face using shells, stones and sticks and then top it off with some seaweed hair or see if you can create Oona or Baba!

Bug hotel

Make a home for insects, bugs and perhaps a hedgehog! Use pieces of bark, tiles, old plant pots for the exterior and include some moss to make it cosy inside with sticks and leaves for insects to enjoy their stay!

Build a den

Gather up some long sticks or driftwood and lean them against a tree, rocks or garden fence. A perfect hiding place and a even a shelter from the sun or rain!

Rock pooling

Rock pools at low tide are the best way to spot sea creatures in their natural environment. How many different creatures can you spot in one pool? Who is the first person to spot a hermit crab like Bernie from Puffin Rock?!

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